Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
This unit continues from where Unit 1 and looks at the tools for designing, documenting, testing and evaluating solutions using algorithms and code.
Algorithms that we design will be tested using test data and "run" on paper using Trace Tables and on computer by converting them to Python. The skills in this unit will be assessed in the exams (Paper 2) and in your major programming project due at the beginning of Year 9 Term 4.
Resources
Resources
- Pseudocode and Flowcharts Page
- Python Resources Page
- REPL Intro to Python - programming exercises. Click here to join the class
- Python Snippets Page
- Making Flow Charts
- Draw them by hand!
- Most flow charts on this site are made in Google Draw
- More powerful is draw.io
- Simple flowcharts on CS Guru
External Resources
External Resources
- GCSE CS Guru
- Algorithms and Problem Solving
- Arrays
- Testing and Test Data
- Validation & Verification
- Top Down Design, Library Routines
- BBC Bitesize: Algorithms
- Khan Academy AP CSP
- Programming 101 (slightly different pseudocode - includes use of functions)
- Algorithms 101 (In some places beyond the IGCSE course)
Dot points
Dot points
Problem-solving & Programming
Problem-solving & Programming
Problem-solving and design
- show understanding that every computer system is made up of sub-systems, which in turn are made up of further sub-systems
- use top-down design, structure diagrams, flowcharts, pseudocode, library routines and sub-routines
- work out the purpose of a given algorithm
- explain standard methods of solution
- suggest and apply suitable test data
- understand the need for validation and verification checks to be made on input data
- use trace tables to find the value of variables at each step in an algorithm
- identify errors in given algorithms and suggest ways of removing these errors
- produce an algorithm for a given problem (either in the form of pseudocode or flowchart)
- comment on the effectiveness of a given solution
Recommended Extension
Recommended Extension
The IGCSE CS course recommends that students learn how to write and use procedures/functions to help structure their code. However, it will not assess this skill on exams.
We will briefly look at how to represent procedures in pseudocode and flowcharts. We will expect the skill to be used in our later Python exercises and projects.
Pseudocode and Flowcharts
- understand and use pseudocode for assignment, using ←
- understand and use pseudocode, using the following conditional statements:
- IF … THEN … ELSE … ENDIF
- CASE … OF … OTHERWISE … ENDCASE
- understand and use pseudocode, using the following loop structures:
- FOR … TO … NEXT
- REPEAT … UNTIL
- WHILE … DO … ENDWHILE
- understand and use pseudocode, using the following commands and statements:
- INPUT and OUTPUT (e.g. READ and PRINT)
- totalling (e.g. Sum ← Sum + Number)
- counting (e.g. Count ← Count + 1)
- understand and use standard flowchart symbols to represent the above statements, commands and structures
Programming concepts
- declare and use variables and constants
- understand and use basic data types:
- Integer, Real, Char, String and Boolean
- understand and use the concepts of sequence, selection, repetition, totalling and counting
- use predefined procedures/functions
Data structures; arrays
- declare and use one-dimensional arrays, for example: A[1:n]
- show understanding of the use of one-dimensional arrays, including the use of a variable as an index in an array
- read or write values in an array using a FOR … TO … NEXT loop
Report abuse